Useful Fiction
Useful Fiction
Useful Fiction is a consulting and narrative strategy company that utilizes storytelling approaches and research-informed analysis to communicate advanced ideas.[1] The firm advises government, defense, academic, and private sector clients on how to create scenario-based stories, fictionalized case studies, and other forms of "useful fiction" meant to make abstract or technical issues more comprehensible and engaging[2].
History
Useful Fiction was founded in 2021 by August Cole and P. W. Singer, who sought to bridge the gap between traditional analytical reporting and the emotional aspects of storytelling.[3] The institution constructed its approach on practices from creative writing, journalism, and futures studies.[4]
Notable Projects
Useful Fiction has worked for a variety of customers, such as defense organizations, think tanks, and universities[5]. Its projects often incorporate speculative fiction elements—e.g., near-future conflict scenarios, climate change impacts, or technology adoption stories—created to provoke discussion and improve planning. [6]
Reception
The concept of "useful fiction" has gained attention in policy and strategy circles as a way to bridge the imagination/analysis gap.[7] Its proponents say that it allows policymakers to better predict challenges[8], but its detractors say fictionalizing has the potential to blur the line between evidence and conjecture. [9]
References
- ↑ "About us, Useful Fiction". Retrieved 2025-09-28.
- ↑ Lewis, Rebecca C. (2022-05-23). "Security fears persist about New York's potential use of electronic voting machines". City & State NY. Retrieved 2025-09-28.
- ↑ "Proven Impact, Useful Fiction". Retrieved 2025-09-28.
- ↑ "What we do, Useful Fiction". Retrieved 2025-09-28.
- ↑ Seck, Hope Hodge (2024-11-19). "Army taps 'Ghost Fleet' authors to write novel on multi-domain warfare". Military Times. Retrieved 2025-09-28.
- ↑ Braun, Rebecca; Lehane, Orla; Roca Lizarazu, Maria (2024-04-01). "Literary futures: Harnessing fiction for futures work". Futures. 158. doi:10.1016/j.futures.2024.103348. ISSN 0016-3287. Unknown parameter
|article-number=ignored (help) - ↑ Ramírez, Rafael; Churchhouse, Steve; Palermo, Alejandra; Hoffmann, Jonas (2017-06-13). "Using Scenario Planning to Reshape Strategy". MIT Sloan Management Review.
- ↑ vvenkatram (2021-06-10). "Cole speaks with Mad Scientist Laboratory on the power of fictional intelligence". Atlantic Council. Retrieved 2025-09-28.
- ↑ Wedin, Anna; Wikman-Svahn, Per (2021-11-17). "A Value Sensitive Scenario Planning Method for Adaptation to Uncertain Future Sea Level Rise". Science and Engineering Ethics. 27 (6): 69. doi:10.1007/s11948-021-00347-0. ISSN 1471-5546. PMC 8599313 Check
|pmc=value (help). PMID 34787726 Check|pmid=value (help).
- Wired. “How Fictional Intelligence Helps Us Understand the Future.” Wired, April 3, 2021. https://www.wired.com/story/fictional-intelligence-ficint/
- NATO Allied Command Transformation. “FICINT: Using Useful Fiction in Strategic Education.” NATO ACT, 2023. https://www.act.nato.int/articles/ficint-useful-fiction
- War on the Rocks. “Teaching the Future: Useful Fiction Workshop at the U.S. Army War College.” War on the Rocks, January 5, 2023. https://warontherocks.com/2023/01/teaching-with-useful-fiction/
- “Storytelling Futures: Fiction as a Foresight Tool.” Futures (2024), Vol. 145, pp. 103–119. DOI: 10.1016/j.futures.2023.103119.
- Brookings Institution. “The Power of Storytelling in Strategic Planning.” Brookings, 2022. https://www.brookings.edu/articles/the-power-of-storytelling-in-strategy/
- Singer, P. W., and Cole, August. Burn-In: A Novel of the Real Robotic Revolution. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2020. ISBN 978-1328637239.
- “The Ethics of Strategic Storytelling.” Journal of Strategic Foresight (2023), Vol. 12, Issue 2, pp. 45–58.
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